Terri Shofner of Peaceforce Oregon will present information on NP and invite you to participate in an activity so that you can experience a little of what it might be like to serve on an international peacekeeping team.................................................................................

Some of us have been saying “NO” to war for so long it’s become our mantra, but sometimes it’s nice to have something we can say “YES” to. Nonviolent Peaceforce is that something we can say “YES” to when we say “NO” to war. NP is a truly global organization made up of Member Organizations from across the globe, including the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. As a Member Organization BPF is able to participate and be a voting member of NP on such important items as long-term organizational plans and the approval and changes to the Nonviolent Peaceforce's by-laws.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an unarmed, professional civilian peacekeeping force that works in conflict zones worldwide. We have teams currently deployed in Sri Lanka, Mindinao and soon we will have new teams on the ground in Southern Sudan.

We envision a world in which large-scale unarmed civilian peacekeeping using proven nonviolent strategies is recognized as a viable alternative in preventing, addressing, and mitigating violent conflicts worldwide.

In North America, NP is expanding it’s outreach by offering Nonviolenct Conflict Intervention workshops and training for domestic peace teams. NP is supported locally by the United States Nonviolent Peaceforce Chapters Association (USNPCA), another Member Organization of NP. We also have chapters forming in many cities across America and Canada to promote this work, including Peaceforce Oregon in Portland.

The concept of the Global Nonviolent Peaceforce is an important contribution to the new millennium in that people working for peace, whose lives represent an ethical commitment towards that end, are an important part of the construction of a world where tolerance, respect, equality, improvement and justice become humanity's most essential values.